Chapter 23: Side Chapter 2

In a large mountainous forest, a trail winding through it leading up to a fortress at the top of the mountain.  Walking down the path a pink haired elf-girl fumed audibly.

“A patrol.  A boring, routine patrol.  Tch, I’m a Praetor yet instead of assisting the Governor or leading raids, I’m left to wandering the woods of this backwater wilderness.”  The elf-girl vented a loud.

“Oh, come now Alexia dear their just unfamiliar with you.  I’m sure once they get to know you, they’ll be as close as lovers to you my dear.”  A tall, muscular woman with two round brown ears poking out from atop her messy, shoulder length brown hair said as she followed behind the pink-haired elf, Alexia.

“Heh, right and maybe the empress herself will come all the way out here just to offer to eat me out.”  Alexia quipped sarcastically.

“Please dearie, you shouldn’t make such vulgar jokes.  What if someone misunderstands you?”  The large bear-woman cautioned nervously. 

“Yeah, yeah, there is no point worrying yourself Ursula.  They’ll always make the worst possible conclusions about everything I say or do.  So why even bother?”  Alexia countered sullenly.

Ursula grew solemn after hearing Alexia’s comment and so they silently continued to hike up the trail.

Alexia had arrived at this remote outpost just several weeks ago, only to immediately be sent out on patrol, with only Ursula and a handful of wolf-girl slaves, who were following her from a respectful distance, as subordinates.  No other elf had been assigned to this; Ursula had been sent with her by order of her mother to act as her guardian while she was here.  She was technically the second in command of this outpost and she was being sent out on these pointless treks through the mountains.

Praetors were junior assistants assigned to the various Governors of the Empire.  This was to be the beginning of the political careers of whichever elf who attained the position, for once finished with their term of service the praetors gains a seat in the Senate. 

Honestly this was already an awful province to be assigned too, it only consisted of this one single stronghold, alone in these savage mountains.  There were few opportunities to gain glory or prestige, and fewer chances of making connections with the pitiful number of elves who were stationed here.  It felt like her future career in politics was already doomed.

And she didn’t want to be in her mother’s shadow for the rest of her life.  Even now her mother’s influence still clung to her, following her ardently. 

“Alexia dearie, we’re reaching the stronghold soon.  Maybe you should perk up, make a good impression to them.”  Ursula spoke, trying to cheer up Alexia.

When Ursula wasn’t her babysitter, she was one of her mother’s personal slave guards… and lovers.  In fact her mother had many such women at her beck and call, each one steadfastly loyal and devoted to her mother’s needs… and desires.  But that was something all elves have come to expect of their property, devotion. 

Alexia knew plenty about the measures elves took to control their slaves, as she should, her mother was one of the biggest slave traders in the empire.  Despite being the head of a clan of the highest rank, her mother acted like a mere merchant who bought, trained and sold slave girls as a means of making money.  Her facilities collected, processed and trained numerous slaves every year to feed the Elven Empire’s insatiable demands.  Of course, she kept those that caught her interest, the higher quality girls that she acquired, the ones from rare species, those that held great potential or just those exotic girls that came into her possession. 

Alexia couldn’t currently see it, but she knew that just above Ursula’s womanhood was a heart shaped tattoo.  There were a plethora of methods that elves used to control their slaves.  The lowest slaves who did the manual labor were kept under control with mere chains and the watch of their overseers.  Those overseers and other more valuable slaves were controlled with magic enchantments, which ensured their loyalty but were potentially vulnerable to disruptions.  By far the most full proof yet expensive was the brandings, the same heart shaped tattoo that Ursula wore, were the subject was forever bonded to her mistress once applied. 

Maybe she should have pursued and captured that girl she found wandering, naked, in the woods, then she could have a slavegirl of her own to vent her frustrations.  One who would be truly and definitively hers, not one of her mother’s trained ‘pets’.

“Praetor Alexia!”  A commanding voice shook her from her thoughts.

Looking up she realized that she was almost at the gates of the fortress, with another elf standing at the open entrance her arms cross and scowl on her face, several assistants standing around her.  She immediately recognized the other elf-girl as the ‘Governor’ of this solitary outpost.

She was a gorgeously exquisite example of elven beauty, with rich blonde hair that flowed down to her waist, topped with a tiara.  She wore high quality, tailormade solid white skirt and jacket that fitted her figure perfectly.  A sword hung from one side of her curvy waist, it’s scabbard showing off yet more signs of wealth and prestige.  The elf-girl herself wore a scowl with her arms crossed as she stared down Alexia relentlessly.

“I demand a report immediately.  You will report any strange encounters you had to me.”  The governor ordered fiercely, the other elves looking nervous and frightened as they watched on.

“Governor Octavia… why are you here?  You haven’t greeted me at these gates the last time I arrived.”  Alexia narrowed her eyes.  “What is going on?”

The frown on Octavia’s face deepened considerably, her eyes shifted towards one of her assistants briefly before returning and narrowing on Alexia.  “Don’t question my orders!  Just tell me if you saw anything strange out there.” 

Alexia closed her eyes and just sighed.  “Look, you need to tell me what is going on.  Clearly you all are acting unnerved and suspicious.  If I don’t get an explanation, then I won’t be able to determine what ‘strange’ even means.”

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The Governor shifted in place uncomfortably, she bit her lip as her eyes shifted coldly at Alexia, thoroughly and critically examining the strawberry blonde elf as she debated with herself.  Eventually Octavia sighed deflated, seemingly have come to a decision she opened her mouth.

“…The Sibyl of Cummine made a prophecy.  ‘A dragon descends.  The mountains her roost, she plots to ravage and violate the lands of elves.  Our daughters her prey, our wealth her plunder, fear the attendant of the Primordial Beast for she comes to repeat her mistress’s path.’  That was the message, so are you satisfied now?  Tell me what you know this instant.”  Governor Octavia said calmly but with a marked edge.

Alexia was in shock upon hearing this, her mind worked to make sense of it.  ‘A dragon?  ‘Attendant of the Primordial Beast?’  The contents of this prophecy were serious, especially when it came from the Sibyl of Cummine one of the most well-respected diviners in the whole empire.  And Primordial Beast, could it be that nightmare has return?’

“Dearie, are you unwell?”  With a gentle hand on Alexia’s back Ursula tried to sooth and console her elf charges worries.

A chill had run down Alexia’s spine when she made the connection, this ‘dragon’ could very well be the harbinger of the nightmare that every young elven girl is told of from the earliest age.

This was potentially very momentous for the Empire and every elf alive.  That explains cautious, unnerved behavior of everyone present.

“Okay.  I’ll report every detail from my patrol… and I’m volunteering to lead the next patrol to search for this ‘dragon.’”  Alexia nodded her head assertively, the tension building inside of her, her body stiffening in anticipation.

“There is no need, I’ve already sent out several raiding parties to locate this thing.  My little sister is leading one of them and I’ll be heading out to meet up with her once I’m done with you.”  Governor Octavia shot down the request bluntly.

“What!?”

“You heard me.  Once you’ve finished your report you’re heading back to the heartlands.” 

“But you can’t do that!  I’m the Praetor, I’m supposed to serve at this ‘province’ for a year!” 

“Well I don’t need a liability!”  Octavia fired back indignantly.  “These are serious matters that require girls that I can trust, not playing around with eyesores who of becoming senators. You are dismissed.”

Those words felt like a gut punch to Alexia, her head drooped downwards as her entire body slumped disheartened and dejected.  She hated being treated this way, being scorned and loathed almost every elf she met, only having fellow clanswomen and her mother’s slaves for friends.  All because of an ancient story.

Once the Elven Empire stretched across the entire continent.  It was a glorious time, a bountiful golden age of wonder and plenty, where the empire had reached the zenith of power and civilization.  It was a time of prosperity where even the poorest elf had mansions staffed by servants, where the cities gleamed brightly, where none knew hunger or sickness.  Airships covered the skies, transporting goods across the continent and beyond.  Magical knowledge was pushed to the boundaries, with magitech creations and powerful artifacts coming into the hands of every elf, vast repositories of lore was accumulated throughout the empire.  There were even tales of elven expeditions to expand this great civilization beyond the continent.

At least that was what every elf was taught from her earliest days. 

But of course, it was not to last, for the vile Primordial Dragon had descended upon the empire.  She swept through the entirety of the empire, ravaging the glorious and prosperous cities with her fiery breadth, devasting every achievement that elves had ever made and disrupting the natural flow of magic with her very presence.  The great airships crashed into the earth with fiery explosions upon her mere presence.  Even the great archives of elven magical knowledge were put to the flame by the dragon’s vicious assault. 

With a great roar the primordial monster dominated the minds of the slaves, unleashing them on their elven masters.  The innumerable slaves overwhelmed an already weakened and fragile empire, destroying what little the dragon hadn’t already.  Under the onslaught, the survivors retreated to the few territories that they could still hold onto.

And when the Primordial Dragon approached these remnants of the empire, ready to viciously snuff out the last traces of civilization from the world, a girl stepped forward.  She was the beloved sister of the Empress, an unrivaled beauty amongst even the most ethereal of elves with exotic pinkish, strawberry blonde hair.  This girl presented herself before the terrible dragon and… submitted utterly to the beast’s desires.  She had allowed herself to be conquered and dominated by the very monster who scoured elven civilization, betraying her elven kin… but also saving them, for once finished violating the elven princess the dragon turned away, leaving what little remained.

This one girl would then bear a child with the same pink hair as her own.  A child with the ancient monster’s draconic blood in her veins.  She would found a clan, who to this very day, bore the signature pink hair and the heritage of a primeval monster that brought the empire crashing to the brink of darkness and barbarism. 

The same clan that Alexia was apart of, that she would one day succeed as it’s leader. 

All her life, Alexia had been ostracized by society for this, for the fear that she was faithful to her progenitor.  The looks that she was getting from the other elves assembled here told of that.  But Alexia wanted to prove them wrong, that she wasn’t anything like her traitorous forebearer of legend, that when it came time, she would defeat this dragon that served the Primordial and show everyone that she was a loyal subject of the Empire.

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